It was a very happy day for Mrs & Mr Krishnankutty, the day when their son Deepak was going to college for doing pursuing graduation studies at a college in Coimbatore. His parents never got a chance to complete their schooling at all. And so, their happiness knew no bounds in sending their son to college. The happiness that lasted for nearly four months ended with a shock. “Your son Deepak never attends classes properly. He roams around with his friends and spends time smoking and drinking. We’ve given him last warning. If he repeats the same, your son will be suspended and will be fined.” – The Principal told them over phone.
This is the story of one among many parents who gets terribly horrified when they know their children are drunkards and smokers. They never suspect their children when they stay out with friends with their “so called” assignments and projects. All the colleges have come up with very strict and stringent rules to avoid smoking and usage of toxic substances inside the college and college hostel. But, hardly a few becomes practical. Some people even take pride in saying that they do smoke and booze. Due to the restrictions in college hostels, some have shifted to rooms outside so that no one would question them or stop them from doing things that they want to. “First when i came here, my friends use to make fun of me telling that being a boy why don’t you smoke, just al least try taking a puff. I tried taking it once and then i had a tendency to try smoking one whole cigarette. It became a habit then. Now i smoke a minimum of four cigarettes per day. Not inside the college compound but in our rooms outside”. – Says Husain, a 2nd year Civil Engineering student.
It’s tough to get an answer from the youngsters if they are asked about why you do all these. Some says it’s for fun, just to know the taste of it, just to enjoy with friends.... and some even says, Mind your own business!! “We prefer smoking more than drinking because a bottle of beer costs Rs. 50 – 60 whereas a packet of cigarette costs only rupees 30 and one cigarette costs only Rs.3. which we can afford with our pocket money”, Says Nisham and friends of a leading college in Coimbatore.
Shopkeepers near colleges make a big sale out of students. According to Mr. Mayan and Ms. Kanimozhi, the two different shopkeepers near the Navakkarai bus stop, their business comes down during the college semester holidays. A minimum of 40 – 50 students comes to these shops during working days. Since public smoking was banned few months ago, there are shopkeepers who made their shops with a separate room for these students to sit and smoke so that the students won’t fall into any types of troubles.
“Some of the teenagers smoke and drink occasionally when they are in party mode. They are good at studies too. May be not in the top list but they don’t flunk in any subjects. Some students smoke and drink 24 x 7, never attends classes and finally they fail...!” says Mrs. Sandhya Balakrishnan, lecturer of Sree College of Engineering, Neelambur. Students who are not into all this seem to be very much bothered about their friends. “Not all my friends are from high class families, some are from middle-class families who studies with the help of bank loans, but then once they get into habits like smoking or drinking, they make money in many ways to satisfy all their needs. I’ve tried talking to them about stopping this, but then nothing will happen other than we fight with each other at last”, says Mithun Varma, a final year MBA student.
The situation has become so bad that tobacco and alcoholic products have taken control over our teenagers and everyone fails to make them understand. Let us hope that Deepak would no longer smoke or drink as he promised to his mother and he’ll become the future Ambani as his mother dreamt of him!!
(The names of the characters in the articles are not real. They are faked due to security reasons)
